Clinical and epidemiological profile of women with breast cancer managed in a public referral hospital in northeastern Brazil

Aim: To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of women with breast cancer, managed in the Breast Service at Hospital Getulio Vargas (HGV). Materials and Methods: A descriptive, observational cross-sectional study, involving 174 breast cancer patients, managed at the Breast Service at HGV in Teresina, in the northeast of Brazil, from May 2011 to June 2014. Epidemiological variables included age group, age at menarche, age at first childbirth, and menopause. The tumor characteristics studied were histological type, TNM classification, and staging. The results were organized in distribution tables. Results: Breast carcinoma was more common in patients aged 60 and over, in multiparous women, and in women who were menopausal before age 55. The most common histological type was ductal invasive carcinoma T2N1M0 (Stage IIB) in 83 (48%) women. Conclusion: The current study shows that the majority of carcinomas were Stage II or advanced tumors, with clinically positive axillary lymph node status and weak correlation with reproductive risk factors.

Breast cancer; Epidemiology; Tumor characteristics.

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